Week of Parentheses (Jason Isbell)

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

It’s probably not the first time I have started a post with that line (and probably won’t be the last). It’s not my fault though. Sometimes things are out of your control. Y’know, sometimes life just comes up, grabs you by the ears, and says kiss me you fool. (Good god, that sounds familiar. (Have I already started to recycle this weak material?) (apparently so)) Okay, enough with the overpunctuation (does that work get a hyphen? (are parentheses punctuation?)), we’re already behind.

Before we move ahead though, I want to briefly cover some topics that we will not be talking about this week. It’s president’s day and regrettably unless you need a new mattress, it can be an overlooked holiday. In case you want to break the trend and get historical, check out the Lincoln exhibit at the Carter Presidential Library.

We’re also not going to be discussing my favorite band names because that requires a parental advisory warning and I am fresh out of stickers this week. There’s also that merch table post that I never seem to get around to, but I know you’re already hitting it pretty hard cuz y’know that’s how our artists really get paid. Finally, I’m not going to talk about how we’re all going to get a little older this week, but the truth is we are.

That’s enough of that, now we’re really behind. Let’s get to the list already.

The Devil You Know…

Confession time. I occasionally let my desire get the best of me. Maybe I’ll a recommend a show by an artist that I’ve never seen before. Maybe I’ll talk about an event that I know I will never make it to. Sometimes, I even do both. (Really, it’s all about the love.)

This week I am going to start exactly that way. I have never seen Atlanta’s own electro funk gang, Noot d’Noot, and I am disappointed to know that I won’t be able to catch the sweet sounds of Dream Sanitation over the beats of the boys this Saturday night at The Earl. As a gesture of penance, I almost picked up their vinyl pressing, Goofer Dust, at Wax & Facts for the modest price of $7. I didn’t, but in hindsight realized that I probably should have.

That brings me to another distraction. There are only a few days left before independent Atlanta music store, Ella Guru, closes its doors. Creative Loafing reports that owner Don Radcliffe will continue selling vinyl and cds through the internet using the Ella Guru domain name but will close his doors at the end of the month. Another blow for those of us who like to wander into a record store on Saturday afternoon and wander out with something entirely new because it was playing on the store stereo, or was recommended by the staff, or was under the arm of the really cool looking chick with the tattoo sleeves who was walking out as you came in. I know that times are tough but the entrepreneurs behind our local music scene are not getting bailed out. If we want to keep them around, we need to enact our own stimulus and let loose with a couple bucks. (Hey, you get to keep the music, right?)

For those of you patient enough to still be reading waiting to find out if there is anything else to see this week, well there is. Check out former DBTer, Jason Isbell, and his new group, the 400 Unit, on Wednesday night, also at The Earl. Their eponymous new record has a release date of February 17 (yes, that’s tomorrow), so they should have copies at the merch table at the show. If you haven’t heard Jason’s post-DBT work, it is rooted in southern American country and sounds awfully good to me.

If you prefer that jam band sound, then you will want to catch Umphrey’s McGee‘s two show stand at the Variety Playhouse on Thursday and Friday night. This Chicago band is known for their extended sets, long songs, and on-stage improvisation. To my ears the music can range from jam band to prog rock. The new record is Mantis which was released on inauguration day, which at best makes it only the third or fourth best thing to happen on January 20th (but you really can’t hold that against them).

As a final note, I want to mention another local record store that has moved into a new improved space. If you haven’t been to Criminal Records since they made the move to Euclid Avenue, now is the time to get there. It seems like you can’t walk in there anymore and there isn’t somebody playing on the stage in the back. Tuesday night rockers Parlor Mob will be warming up there before hitting Smith’s Olde Bar. Catch them early (6p) while flipping through The Word or the latest issue of Action Comics, then follow them to Smith’s where you can say hey to beautiful Brittany, have a beer and hit the taco special. (Gosh, I play favorites, don’t I?)

Well, that’s the A-List and if you’re out tonight, don’t forget, if you’re on your bike wear white.